Matt Roloff’s Past Struggles With Drug Addiction Resurface

Little People, Big World patriarch Matt Roloff might be known for sharing nuggets of wisdom with his family, but it’s his personal astuteness that stems from some dark struggles.

Roloff has been busy promoting his new children’s book, Little Lucy, Big Race this season, but as the story of triumph makes the rounds, it’s his 1999 memoir, Against Tall Odd: Being a David in a Goliath World that has fans talking on social media.

Initially reported by Radar Online this past September, Roloff revealed he had a cocaine addiction in the past as chronicled in his memoir.

“I never thought I’d be someone who used drugs, but it happened,” Roloff wrote. “I thought I could just try it and get out of it, but I was wrong. It caught me like a bear trap. I almost didn’t escape.”

He goes on to share that he ended up in “deep debt,” and knew what he was doing was dangerous to his health.

“I can remember many times when I used drugs how my heart would just pound inside my chest, seemingly trying to break its way through my rib cage,” Roloff wrote. “I don’t know if the drugs were harder on my body than they would be on an average-sized person’s, but I know that I was taking a huge risk by using them.”

Roloff was able to conquer his issues by turning to God, cutting out the negative influences from his life and attending meetings for recovery. Not to mention, he quit his job and started over. Naturally, his family helped him as well and his mother “spent many hours praying” for him.

The 55-year-old TLC star said at the time of his memoir’s publication in 1999 he was an “addictive-type personality,” but chose to focus on healthier lifestyle choices.

However, he did have some run-ins with the law following his new chapter. In 2003, Roloff was arrested for driving under the influence after his car swerved into a ditch. Despite an official convicted charge of drunk driving, his charges were dismissed the next year upon completion of an alcohol diversion program.

In 2007, he was pulled over once again after an officer spotted him driving erratically after leaving a bar. He pleaded not guilty to driving under the influence, with the latter dismissed due to a combination of jury misconduct and failure to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the reality TV cast member had been driving under the influence that night.

Photo credit: Instagram / @mattroloff